A Different Kind Of Villain
by Faoi Na Realtai
Summary: Yami's been acting strange. When a girl in a black hood challenges him to a Shadow Duel, what will happen? No pairing currently.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: There's probably some things off considering I haven't really watched the show since four years ago. If you catch any plotholes and let me know, I'll be very thankful. ^_^ I tried to avoid them, but the idea came first so there might be some plotholes or a little OOCness.

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh!

It was a warm afternoon in July, and Yugi was walking home through the park. Normally he'd take the shortest route home and normally Joey would be walking with him, but Joey had detention; anyway, Yugi wanted to enjoy the bright blue sky. He sighed. The nice day was almost nice enough to distract him from his other self, who had been acting snappish and moody lately. Yami had even yelled at him for checking on him yesterday, and any worry Yugi showed was just seemed to irritate the ancient spirit more. Yugi was almost glad he hadn't heard from the Pharaoh yet that day, as much as it hurt to admit it.

So Yugi was hoping the cloudless day was a good omen. The last few days had been stormy, matching the Pharaoh's mood, so perhaps this bright new day meant they could put it behind them. Yami's ill mood couldn't last forever, could it?

A girl's giggle distracted him from his thoughts.

"Tea?", Yugi said hopefully.

"No..."

"Who's there?"

_Silence._

Yami rushed to the surface.

_Yami, it might just be a harmless little..._

_Shut up!_

Yugi stammered backwards in spirit form. The force of the Pharaoh's command and Yugi's surprise had thrown him back. Except for that one time with the Seal, Yami never acted like this.

Yami took no notice however, and instead said in a commanding tone, "Reveal yourself!"

A female figure in a dark cloak, scarcely taller than Yugi, stepped forward out of the shadows, her face obscured (don't we all know that's never a good sign?).

"Hello Pharaoh!", replied the girl cheerfully. "Do you care for a duel?"

At that, Yami actually smirked a little. "Sounds like exactly what I need." Off to the side, Yugi's brow creased in worry.

_Yami?_

"Why don't we make it more interesting? We could play a normal little game or we could make this a Shadow Game…your choice Pharaoh."

Yugi gaped. Who was this girl? How did she know about the Pharaoh? What did she know of Shadow Games? She didn't even have a Millennium Item!

Yami took no notice of Yugi however.

"I wouldn't say no to a Shadow Game, as long as you're aware of the risks", Yami replied with a scary grin.

The girl nodded almost sadly. "I am." Her sudden seriousness was unnerving.

_Yami...!_

_Aibou, I know what I'm doing._

_Remember the Seal?_

_...this isn't the same. _

_You'll banish her to the Shadows! You promised I would have a say in future duels!_

_You've had you're say. Leave!_

Yugi found himself on the ground, in spirit form. His other self was breaking his promise.

"What shall the wager be?

The voice from under the cloak replied, "What else? Our hikaris."

"How can you have a hikari without a Millennium Item?"

"That's not your concern, Pharaoh", she said with an emphasis on the last word. She seemed to enjoy knowing his secrets, while he couldn't know hers.

The Pharaoh didn't ask anymore questions, but nodded. "Fine. My partner if I lose, and your hikari is I lose."

One of the hikaris in question sat on the dirt, abandoned by the other half of his soul. Without the spirit, Yugi felt he would pass out just from the fear. His other friends were no where to be found, and Yami clearly no longer valued him. Yugi pulled in his knees in to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and willed the nightmare to be over. Even a Shadow Game couldn't be worse than what was taking place in front of him. Yugi could take a lot, especially to keep his friends safe, but he had no way of dealing with the betrayal by his other self.

Yami spoke again, and said, "So shall I set the rules then, seeing as you have no Item?"

"No. I challenged you, and I claim hold to all the rights that come with that."

Yami frowned, and asked, "What are your terms then?"

"First, no harm shall come to our lights as we duel, but neither shall they be allowed to interfere."

"Agreed."

A flash of darkness surrounded Yugi. He was almost thankful for it.

"Second, we duel with monsters directly. No cards"

Yami scowled. "Is that even possible?"

"Try calling a monster."

"Dark Magician!"

The magician appeared, and a great stone tablet appeared behind Yami.

"Fine."

"Third, instead of four thousand life points, we simply have to best the other in two out of three duels."

The Pharaoh raised no objections.

"And fourth? I get a condition that only comes into play after the duel."

"Again, how is that fair?"

"Because if you give me this, I'll explain all at the end of the duel, no matter how it goes. I swear neither you or Yugi will come to harm because of this condition as well."

Yami was tempted to say no, but the Dark Magician looked back at him, and nodded as if to say, "Trust her."

The spirit gritted his teeth and agreed.

~/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\~

Inside the Shadow Room Yugi was in, things weren't actually that bad. There was a coach that didn't try to grab his arms or trap him, a bunch of small puzzles and games, a table and a rug...it was almost as if she had been trying to make him comfortable. Yugi didn't know what to make of it. Comfort in the Shadow Realm was like oil and water; impossible as far as he could see. It was hard not to appreciate that she tried though.

A/N: Kudos if you can guess who the mystery girl is; she's actually not an OC. Review if you like making my day, and feel free to give constructive criticism or story ideas, though there are things that can't be changed. So yeah...I think that's all I have to say...BYE!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Um...the gods of Egypt own Yugioh?

Yugi continued to wonder about his yami's strange behavior when he heard a rumble from somewhere in the darkness. "Who's there?", he asked, trying to keep the trembling from his voice.

Things were quiet for a moment and Yugi started to relax his guard when he saw a lion with iridescent armor emerge from the darkness.

"Oh great...how am I supposed to handle a this?", he thought to himself. He remained still and tried to ignore the creature.

"You know I can see you, right?", the lion said with what might have been a chuckle.

Yugi gulped. "Sorry...are you a duel monster?"

"Not exactly. I might've been if I hadn't been betrayed, and I might've sunk into darkness had I not been found. It's complicated."

Yugi was about to ask another question when the land shook underneath them. The lion growled and then turned to Yugi. "Are you the hikari of the spirit outside?"

"Yes."

"I need you to do something for me. Since you're connected to him, you have to disrupt him. If he wins, he'll become a tyrant."

"How do you know?"

"I've had previous experience with it. My friend will free you after the fight, and the Pharoah made no deals concerning himself. If nothing else, help us for the sake of your friend. He'll go back to normal when he's been defeated."

"You aren't making sense. How would defea..." The ground shook again, and cracks in the darkness appeared.

"There isn't time to explain. Trust me." And for some reason, Yugi did. "How can I help?"

~/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\~

Outside Yami had just won the first battle by calling forth Ra against the girl's Silent Magician.

"I could beat you with my Kuriboh!", he taunted her.

"Then why don't you?"

"Because Obelisk is much more thrilling!" He tried to pull Obelisk from the shadows, but while it had been standing ready mere moments before, now he couldn't feel it at all.

"You know what? Maybe I will show off! Kuriboh, come forth!" Kuriboh squeaked at him happily, but he just scowled at it. "Multi...", but before he could finish the command, his opponent called forth her monster. "Yuyan Archers! Take down his Kuriboh!" The arrows hit Kuriboh before Yami could say "...ply."

They were one for one. Yami refused to lose. His pride demanded he win this battle.

His hooded nemesis said, "Let's make this personal. Beast of my Heart, come forth!" Before her appeared the same lion who had earlier been speaking with Yugi.

Yami was about to summon Slifer when the Dark Magician came before him. Yami grinded his teeth in irritation, but yelled anyway, "Dark Magic Attack!" The lion's armor absorbed it and disappeared, but that didn't matter a great deal. The lion was already charging forward and pounced the Dark Magician who disappeared upon hitting the ground.

The strange thing was the Pharaoh disappeared with him.

~/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\~

Yugi _felt_ the Pharaoh vanish, and he was **angry. **He had been released from the Shadow Realm as soon as the battle ended, so he turned to the hooded girl and yelled, "I though you said neither of us would be hurt!"

"I said he wouldn't come to harm because of my condition, which he hasn't. He's perfectly safe, just not here." The girl's hood dropped, revealing white hair, and a familiar face. In fact, if she was dressed as a guy, she might have been mistaken for...

"Are you related to Bakura Ryou?", Yugi asked.

"Do you want to know about that, or about where your yami is?"

"Please, tell me about Yami."

She sat on a bench, and motioned for him to sit near her. "I had to send the Pharaoh away. That was the unspoken condition."

"Why?"

"There are many people who live their lives as part of a partnership. Yami to hikari, like you and the Pharaoh, or sometimes as rivals or enemies. Sometimes their other half exists in the monster world that mirrors ours, but it still forms a balance. It helps to keep our universe in harmony. Someone is out to upset that harmony. May I see your puzzle?"

Yugi was about to say no, but the look in her eye told him he wouldn't be getting anymore answers without handing it over. He keep his hand on the chain because it had been stolen before, but without Yami it was just an empty shell. He needed answers more than caution.

She stroked it, and seemed really sad and somewhat puzzled. "I was right, and also wrong..."

"About what?"

"Your other self's nature has been under pressure to change for at least two months. I thought it had only been a couple of weeks."

"What!"

She continued, "That shows he has a remarkably strong spirit. Most Yami don't last that long."

"You still aren't being very clear."

She sighed. "How do I put this? The person that is seeking to disrupt the harmony of the universe has unleashed a phenomenon that, unless we interfere with it, corrupts yamis. It first turns them evil, then starts pumping power into them so they can do great damage, and finally ends with the yami being worn out and dying. Often if the hikari isn't killed in the attack, they're destroyed when their yami is, so it's a double blow."

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying this was happening to me and the Pharaoh?"

"I'm saying you two should be dead by now."

Yugi had to take a second to breathe and process this. He might have panicked, had he not been through so much before; this wasn't exactly run of the mill news though. He wanted to call Joey or Tea, but he wasn't sure what to think about it yet. It sounded a little crazy, but so did a five thousand year old spirit sharing his puzzle and body. After a few minutes, he finally let loose a deep breath.

"Is Yami going to be okay? Where is he?", Yugi asked, breaking the silence.

The girl bit her lip. "He's contained and relatively safe, but beyond putting the corrupted yamis into comas, we really don't know how to heal them. He's under the care of my master. I can take you to see him, so long as you promise not to touch him."

"I promise. Can I call my best friends and have them come though?"

"You can call them later." She opened a portal made of blue energy.

"Come on."

A/N: First off, I'm so sorry it took so long to update! My only excuse is I'm Master of Procrastination, and I would lose my title if I updated too early. Seriously though, I'll try not to do that again. Thank Novice Novelist that it got up; he reminded me at least a few times, and he helped me out with the majority of this chapter. He's pretty awesome for that. :3 Thank you Novice.

Second, thank you very much, Chao, Dakukira and Okamoto Takeo. You rock for reviewing. If I ever keep you waiting that long again, feel free to bug me for a sneak peek (*also goes for any future reviewers). Also it is anime-verse. I'm a broke college student, I can't afford manga. XD

Third, please let me know if I made any errors. I think Yugi's a bit OOC, so especially if you have any tips about that, let me know. Also, if you have any suggestions on how to bring Yami back into the story go for it, because he's giving me a bit of trouble but I wasn't really planning on shoving him out of the story.

Fourth, I said I'd tell you who the stranger was. It's Amane, Bakura's sister. ;)

Last, you are all awesome. Review if you feel like it, though every single comment makes my day. Thanks for being understanding and for reading. ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Seto Kaiba owns Yugioh! I'm sure of it!

Joey had finally gotten out of detention and was going to meet up with Tristan and some other guys to play some frisbee. Yugi wasn't usually too into that sort of thing, so he'd be spending his afternoon without his little buddy for once.

He was searching for Tristan when he saw Yugi hanging out with some white haired chick. He was walking over to say hi, when the girl raised her hand and blue light flared in front of her. This couldn't be good!

_'Hang on, Yuge. I'm coming'_, Joey thought as he jumped into the light after them.

.

Portals are unpredictable and should not be randomly jumped into at the last minute, no matter how the movies go. It's in their nature to transport objects or persons in such a way that only those who understand the science or magic behind them can understand; without traveling with that person, the chances of being lost go up exponentially.

It's probably for that reason that when Yugi and Amane landed in a dark room, Joey was not with them.

Instead Amane ran over to a table where a young man with blond hair and freckles lay. He had a black design like a circlet with thorns on his forehead, wrapped around a silver symbol. She grabbed his hand until a voice barked out, "Amane!" She quickly dropped his hand.

At the door stood a tall man in black and gold robes. His hair was gray and he looked like he hadn't shaved for a very long time. "You know you can't risk waking him."

"I was just checking his pulse", she hedged.

"It's fine, as it always is", the man said. Then he noticed Yugi. "And who is this?"

"That's Yugi. He wanted to see his friend to make sure he's alright."

The man grumbled something before saying, "Fine. But they can't touch. With that puzzle there's too much chance of his partner awakening."

Yugi nodded, and Amane quickly led him off into a nearby chamber. She answered his question before he asked: "That's my master. He took me in when I lost everything that mattered to me. He can be a little grumpy, but that's just because...actually, nevermind. He's always grumpy." She giggled.

Yugi scratched his head nervously, but forgot about that when they reached the Pharaoh. He lay as if sleeping, something Yugi had never seen him doing before. He was also solid, and Yugi was tempted to reach out to touch him to confirm it. Amane swatted his hand away though.

"You see that mark on his head? How it's very complex? That's because the magic over him is very strong. We aren't very clear on how it works, but we know yamis can be woken by hikaris; my friend Megumi proved that. Her yami was almost as far gone as yours, and it took one touch for one to wake the other. It's too much of a risk."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"You could go home. You've seen him, you know he's safe. Eventually we will find a way to wake him, but I'm sure with him around your life has been very interesting. Without him around, you could finally enjoy a normal life..." Amane shut up upon seeing Yugi's expression. She sighed. "You have no desire for a normal life, do you?"

Yugi shook his head. "Not if it means giving up on Yami!"

"I guess there is one other option..."

"How can I help him?"

"Help us. Most hikari tend to be too afraid to help us, even when they do know their yami. You seem a little different though...something tells me you're made of sterner stuff than most hikaris out there."

Yugi blushed at the compliment and said, "I don't know about that, but I really want to help. Tell me what we can do."

She gestured for Yugi to follow her, but before doing so Yugi went to take a last look at his mou hitori no Yugi. As Amane had said, there was an extremely complex design that rested on the Pharaoh's brow. The only place that was clear was where the Eye of Horus sat, at the center of Yami's forehead. Yugi leaned over and said softly, "I promise to find the solution, okay?" He didn't notice the puzzle brush Yami's hand as he quickly ran after Amane, who had already ran off.

.

Joey had landed, as his luck would have it, in a dumpster. His eyes spun for a second before he started climbing out, but not before he noticed a Duel Monsters card. It was titles "Lady Luck", but the description looked like it had been stained by dark red dye; all he could tell was that it was a monster card. He stuck it in his pocket before shouting, "Where the heck am I? Yugi!"

A man in purple assassin's robes with a creepy smile dropped in from of him. He had blended into the streets perfectly, as the city seemed to be flooded with mist, and the moon didn't shine overcast night sky. It almost felt like a stereotype of London.

"Is there any particular reason you're screaming 'Game'?", said the man. He slid behind Joey and continued, "Perhaps you are looking to play Cheshire?"

"Nyargh!", Joey exclaimed as he stumbled away from the man. "Who the hell are you?"

The man seemed disappointed. "So you don't want to play?"

"Heck no! I'm looking for my friend Yugi, right now."

Joey was about to stalk off, when the man said, "Wait. With a name like that, your friend has to be into games. If you think he'd play with me, I'll help you find him."

That caught Joey's interest. "You know where Yugi is?"

The man chuckled. "I have a few ideas. Will Yugi be willing to play?"

"Sure my pal will play, and beat you too! He's the King of Games. No one can ever beat my bud!"

"Well then, I'm sure it will prove a very interesting match. Now I must inquire, what is your name? I go by a few, but considering the locale we're in, call me Puck."

Joey laughed. "Puck? Like hockey puck? What, are you easy to push around?"

Puck frowned for the first time. "Not especially. In fact, I can be rather dangerous when I have a mind to be."

Joey didn't catch hint, and was still laughing a little when he said, "Whatever you can do, Puck is still a really sissy name."

"You're really pushing it. Perhaps it's time for a warning." Puck smiled, and with a snap of the fingers crows gathered around Joey, and a couple of them pecked at him.

"Get these things away from me!", Joey yelled, and ran off.

Puck shrugged and bent down to stroke a crow. "He didn't give me much to go by, but I think I may still hunt down this Yugi fellow. The King of Games could very well be of use to me, if the title is anything to go by, don't you think, my former Lady of Luck?"

.

'Why do I always end up running away from something on these crazy adventures?', Joey thought to himself. The crows didn't let up until about four miles away, where the mist suddenly stopped. The clouds stopped at that point too, and the buildings all looked newer and more spaced out. Joey still didn't have the slightest clue where he was, but whether it was the run or the change of atmosphere, he suddenly felt a heck of a lot better.

He pointed at the crows still behind the mist.

"Yeah, take that you birds! Joey Wheeler is unstoppable!" He did a little victory dance, before starting to march off to look for his friend...and then his stomach growled.

"Looks like you could use some dinner", a voice behind him commented.

He looked to see a woman dressed leather with black hair and a smirk. Something about her reminded him of Mai, but he was soon distracted again by his stomach.

Joey asked, "Know where I can find some grub?"

"Right here. You have some sort of luck, pup. This is the only place in the city that takes in and feeds lost kids."

Joey sputtered at the word 'pup' and was about to defend himself, but she just waved a hand for him to come in. He smelled pizza and she wasn't Kaiba, so the argument could wait. He followed her inside.

.

Ryou woke from a nightmare that hadn't bothered him in a long time. When he was younger and Amane had first been lost, he used to dream all the time a mysterious man had taken her away.

He would see her make-believing there were fairies in their grandmother's backyard, which was more like a wood. It woudln't be unpleasant at all, and would be very like her, but then a stranger in black and gold robes would come and just scoop her up in the middle of her game and leave while she wailed for her brother to save her. In the dream, he tried to go to his parents but the shadows would leap from all around him and silence him, so he couldn't tell them anything.

He dreamed this every night after Amane disappeared.

About six months after, the remains of a little girl were found in those woods, and it was decided that they were Amane's. Their grandmother swore it wasn't her, but even Ryou believed it had to be; all those dreams meant was that she had been back there all this time.

Later on Ryou would develop an interest in the occult so his sister could communicate with him again. He still missed her dearly, and would have done anything to find out how she was.

That's why having that dream again mystified him so. He had already gotten the message about her having been killed and buried in the woods. Besides that, there was a new element to the dream; Yugi appeared in it and led her back to him and their family.

Ryou knew this couldn't be so. His sister was buried properly, so this meant something entirely different. It was late though, and he couldn't think of why the dream had returned or what it meant.

He decided he would write her a letter in the morning. Perhaps that would help him puzzle it out.

With that settled, he drifted back to sleep. Four-thirty was definitely too late for this.

.

A/N: Another chapter done, and this one isn't terribly late. Now there's two more things:

1) You guys have a say, if you want it. It requires a review or a message, but if you want to see more of Kaiba or Bakura or some other canon character, or less of some OCs, just let me know. Same goes for any other suggestions. The storyline can totally handle it, and I really want to make you readers happy. Without you, this is hardly more than writing practice, so throw in your two cents.

2) My thanks to Phantom Brat, Skater Girl, and PK Love Omega (x2 for reviewing twice). Your reviews make my day. ^_^

Many hugs and thank yous to Novice Novelist, who is ever helpful and encouraging. This chapter would neither be out, nor make as much sense without him.

Last of my thanks goes to the people who only read without leaving a comment. There's hardly a story without an audience, and so I just hope you're enjoying this one. ^.^ Thanks for stopping by.


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